Reflection - A conclave of hope and a call for peace

Photo: canva.com/Jorge Garcia González

In recent months, many of us have watched Conclave, the timely drama promoted as a thriller. The film was well acted and skilfully directed, capturing the grandeur and intensity of the Vatican with colours even more vivid than reality. Yet, despite its promising start, it ended on a strangely farcical note, undermining some of its initial intrigue. Still, the film was a fascinating introduction to the real-life events that would soon unfold.

Not long after, the world’s attention shifted from fiction to history in the making. Televisions everywhere broadcast the familiar yet always thrilling sight: a puff of white smoke rising from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel. The seagulls perched on the roof shuffled as the smoke billowed, and the crowds in St Peter’s Square surged forward, filled with excitement and hope. I can only imagine how the newly elected pope must have felt as he stepped onto the balcony, gazing upon the sea of waving national flags, each representing people waiting in hope.

Among those flags were those of Ukraine, Gaza, Myanmar, Sudan, and the Congo - all places where conflict and human suffering continue to scar the earth. Bloodshed and destruction mark these lands, reminders of the wars Pope Francis so often lamented, insisting again and again: Nobody wins a war.

The man who emerged as Pope Leo came to this burdensome and expectation-laden role exceptionally well-prepared. His life journey has equipped him with deep pastoral and global experience. As a young priest, he was evangelised by Peru’s poor and rural communities, who shaped his understanding of faith, service, and humility.

He later served as Augustinian Provincial in the United States and became the world leader of his religious order. His mission brought him back to Peru, where he taught in a seminary and eventually became the Archbishop of the Peruvian diocese of Chiclayo in northern Peru. More recently, he held a critical leadership role in Rome as the head of the Dicastery for Bishops. Pope Leo intimately knows both the northern and southern churches; he has walked alongside the poor, administered local dioceses, and navigated the complexities of the Vatican. He is no stranger to the real and often painful issues facing the global Church and the world.

Beyond the grandeur and ritual of his election, what truly captured my attention were his first words from the balcony and the key message of his inaugural homily. His prayer, his vision, and his hope are centred on peace - peace for those gathered in the piazza and for the entire world to which he has now been called to serve - a world tragically not just at war but seemingly always preparing for the next one.

Pope Leo specifically named three regions that weigh heavily on his heart: Ukraine, Gaza and Myanmar. These are places of immense suffering, where innocent people are caught in the crossfire of the inflated egos and unchecked ambitions of powerful men. He pleaded for a peace that the world cannot give - one that only God can offer. He offered us two pillars upon which this true peace can be built: love and unity. Love is the living presence of the Holy Spirit among us, and the one essential command Jesus gave is to love one another as I have loved you. Unity is the deep yearning expressed in Jesus’ prayer: That all may be one, just as the Father and I are one.

Pope Leo called upon the Church to be a leaven in a world in desperate need of reconciliation. But peace, as he gently reminded us, is not passive. It is a gift that must be embraced and actively worked on. True peace is not simply the absence of violence. It is the fullness of life shared, a love that places others first.

In his invitation to us all, Pope Leo simply asks: Come to Jesus. Listen to Him. Follow Him. Through this path, the hope for a reconciled world becomes possible.

Columban Fr John Hegerty lives in Australia.

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